Flames Of Rescue
by Phanstarlight
Summary: After years of being apart, Kay decides to visit Edgeworth again. But instead of seeing her friend, she meets a defense attorney by the name of Phoenix Wright. Together they discover the Chief Prosecutor has gone missing and a note with a spine chilling message. Set between DD and SoJ (no SoJ spoilers).
1. Chapter 1

**I'm super excited about starting this since it's something I've been wanting to write for a while now. Unless something unexpected happens I will be updating this every Wednesday. And just as a note- this story won't have any pairings in it that are not canon or assumed to be canon. Sadly I don't own any rights to Ace Attorney or any of its characters. Enjoy!**

It had been almost three years since Kay had last seen Edgeworth. At first, she had visited him often, helping out on cases with him and Gumshoe where she could. But soon she began to realise that she needed to choose a path and find her own way in life. Today, she was finally returning to tell Edgeworth all she had done in their time apart. However, as she bounded up towards the Chief Prosecutor's office ('fancy' she had thought to herself when the security guard had told her where to find Edgeworth) she found herself greeted with a rather odd sight. Instead of seeing any sign of her friend, all she saw was a man dressed in a blue suit stood in front of his office door looking rather flustered. As she approached, he noticed her out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at her. They both stared at each other for a long moment, trying to figure out how the other person knew Edgeworth and what they were doing outside his office.

"I don't mean to be rude but who exactly are you?" Kay asked cautiously.

"My name is Phoenix Wright, I'm a defense attorney. How about you?"

"I'm Kay Faraday, Great Thief and prosecutor in training!" Kay answered with a smile. The man in front of her seemed friendly enough and she figured that any friend of Edgeworth's would probably end up being a friend of her's.

"Any reason you came to see the Chief Prosecutor?" he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"He's an old friend. I haven't seen him in a while and I thought I'd surprise him and come say hi"

"Well, you won't be getting very far with that plan..." Phoenix muttered and Kay's senses instantly went into high alert.

"And why is that?" Kay asked a little more defensively than she meant to.

"He's not here. That's why I came down actually. I needed to talk to him about a case but he wasn't answering his phone. I went to his house first but he wasn't there so that's why I came to his office but he doesn't seem to be here either"

"Well, where else could he be?" Kay replied as her shoulders sagged slightly.

"That's what I'd like to know"

"He could just be asleep in his office" Kay suggested hopefully and Phoenix began to smile.

"That sounds just like him. I'll go down and get the keys from the security guard. Then we can give him a real surprise"

Kay grinned at Phoenix as he set off down the corridor. As his footsteps faded, Kay's thoughts started to drift. She wondered what had changed since she had last seen Edgeworth. Becoming Chief Prosecutor was obviously one thing that had happened. Maybe he had even gotten around to getting his eyes tested- Kay had been bugging him about it for years before she left yet all he would ever say to her in reply was 'I'll do it soon'. But what she really couldn't wait for was to tell him was that she was training to become a prosecutor. It had taken her years to decide but the last time they had seen each other, Kay had witnessed Edgeworth battle to the truth in the courtroom with such determination and passion and that's when she knew she wanted to do the same; to save people and fight for the truth as a prosecutor. She found a smile on her face as Phoenix turned the corner of the corridor and began walking towards her, the keys to Edgeworth's office in his hand. But just as Phoenix reached her she began to feel a slight anxiety bubbling up inside her chest. Phoenix seemed to notice and turned to her, a gentle smile on his face.

"I'm sure Edgeworth will be happy to see you, " he said reassuringly before quickly unlocking the office door. The two of them smiled at each other for a moment before Phoenix gently pushed open the door. Kay's heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn't stop the grin on her face. But once the door was open and she looked inside, the feeling of excitement completely disappeared and was replaced with something very similar to fear.

The two of them stood in silence as their eyes scanned the room in front of them. Books and papers were spread across the floor, case folders had fallen from their shelves, the chess table had been knocked over with the pieces scattered around it, the desk was in ruins and even the couch had been tipped over. Kay's breath was frozen in her lungs as the shock slammed into her.

"W-What..." Phoenix muttered but the rest of his words died on his tongue. Eventually, Kay managed to regain the power of speech.

"We need to call the police," she said quietly and this seemed to kick start Phoenix's muscles back into motion. But instead of reaching for his cell he stepped forward into Edgeworth's office. Kay noticed his eyes were fixed on a section of Edgeworth's desk so she followed Phoenix towards it. Slowly, as if worried touching something would set off an alarm, Phoenix reached down and picked up a crumpled slip of paper. He unravelled it to find a note on the other side. Together, Kay and Phoenix read it and both their hearts momentarily stopped. The note was clearly written in Edgeworth's handwriting.

 _Kidnapped. Find Detective Dick Gumshoe and Defense Attorney Phoenix Wright. They will be able to find me._


	2. Chapter 2

"What?!" Gumshoe yelled so loudly down the phone that Phoenix winced.

"That's what the note said" Phoenix replied. He was surprised at how calm he was managing to stay, especially with Gumshoe panicking on the phone and Kay restlessly pacing around the room behind him.

"Stay put pal, I'm coming over. I'll get the forensics team down as well"

"I thought you retired?"

"I have. But this is something I cannot sit back for. Plus, Maggey and the baby will be fine while I'm gone"

Before Phoenix could reply, Gumshoe hung up. He turned around to face Kay who was still pacing up and down the room, carefully avoiding the tipped over couch every time she walked past it and biting her lip nervously. Phoenix took a quick breath and went over to her with the most confident smile he could muster.

"Gumshoe is bringing over some guys from forensics. Don't worry, we'll find Edgeworth before you know it"

Kay gave him a weak smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. Phoenix hoped his words sounded more positive than he felt since in truth he didn't know how hopeful they could be. He knew they had to believe that they would save Edgeworth but what if they couldn't? What if...

Phoenix was cut from his thoughts at the sound a people running towards them. Both Phoenix and Kay turned around to see Gumshoe and a group of 5 officers standing by the doorway.

"That was quick" Phoenix commented.

"Gummy!" Kay cried and immediately launched herself onto the retired detective.

"Kay? What on Earth are you doing here?" Gumshoe gasped in surprised but enthusiastically returned her embrace nonetheless.

"I was just coming down to surprise Edgeworth and tell him everything that's happened. But when I got here the door was locked and Phoenix was standing outside. So we-"

"I know that part of the story" Gumshoe said with a soft smile, breaking Kay off. Quickly, he instructed the forensics team he had gathered to start their work and he took a moment to properly survey his surroundings. Phoenix walked over and handed him the note so Gumshoe could see it with his own eyes.

"Who would do something like this?" Kay muttered worriedly.

"Mr Edgeworth has put a lot of criminals away behind bars, more than most prosecutors have. But sometimes they come back for revenge" Gumshoe explained, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders "But we'll find him, I promise"

"Anything we can do to help?" Phoenix asked.

"Since you discovered the scene we'll need to get statements from you both at some point. But until forensics finishes up, all you can do for now is sit and wait" Gumshoe smiled apologetically before joining the rest of his team.

"Why did Edgeworth ask for you?" Kay looked over at Phoenix as she leant back against the wall. There was no jealousy in her tone, just curiosity and confusion.

"I don't know" Phoenix answered truthfully.

"I mean, I understand him asking for Gummy. He used to be a police detective, everyone at Criminal Affairs still really respects him and he answered directly to Edgeworth for years. But you're just a defense attorney. No offence!" Kay added the last part hastily but Phoenix could only smile at her. He understood where she was coming from.

"I guess he must really trust you" Kay mused. Phoenix opened his mouth to reply but was cut short when something shining in a beam of sunlight by Edgeworth's desk caught his eye. Slowly he walked over to it and after an unsure pause, Kay followed him. Without taking his eyes off what he had found Phoenix reached over, picked up a rubber glove from the box the forensics team had brought before wrapping it around the object and pulling it out from where it been wedged into the side of the desk. He held it up to the light to see what the object was and both himself and Kay gasped at what they had found.

"Gummy" Kay said quietly and Gumshoe turned around to face her.

"Is that a... knife?" Gumshoe's eyes widened once to saw the object in Phoenix's hand.

"It was stuck in Edgeworth's desk. Please tell me this red stuff covering it is anything but Edgeworth's blood" Phoenix muttered while handing the knife over to a member of the forensics team for it to be analysed.

"Is it the kidnapper's knife? Did they hurt Edgeworth? Was Edgeworth trying to defend himself with it?" Kay asked worriedly as she began pacing again, even though she knew that no one would be able to answer any of her questions until they found out what was actually on the knife. Not knowing what else to do, Phoenix firmly gripped her shoulders to stop her from pacing and turned her around to face him.

"He's going to be fine. We will find him alive and well, I promise you that" Phoenix said steadily and he felt Kay's body relax the tiniest bit.

"There's good news and bad news," Gumshoe said, appearing behind Phoenix.

"Bad news first" Phoenix replied.

"It's Edgeworth's blood," Gumshoe said solemnly. Kay's hand flew to her mouth and Phoenix's body tensed as he gripped the side of the tipped over couch for support.

"But the good news is that we also have fingerprints of someone who is very likely to be the kidnapper"

"Who?" Phoenix and Kay said simultaneously.

"A guy named Augustus Ingimárr. 15 years ago, he and his brother were caught torturing and maiming their own wives. Edgeworth was the prosecutor on both of their cases and got them declared guilty within 2 days. I guess this guy is back for revenge"

"We need to see if anyone saw someone walking into the building in the last 24 hours who wasn't a prosecutor" Phoenix said sternly and Kay nodded in agreement.

"I'll stay here and keep going with the investigation. You two go out and question some people" Gumshoe said before waving them goodbye and turning back to his team. Together Phoenix and Kay walked out of Edgeworth's office- though Kay did seem rather reluctant to leave- and started heading towards the front desk. But before they could make it very far, a voice sounded behind them.

"Herr Wright?" Phoenix turned around at the sound of his name to see Klavier Gavin walking over to them, carrying a huge stack of files in his arms.

"Mr Gavin" Phoenix greeted him politely before turning to face Kay "This is Klavier Gavin, he's a prosecutor. Gavin this is Kay Faraday. She's a prosecutor in training"

"It's always good to meet someone who's up and coming" Klavier nodded towards Kay with a smile.

"You look busy" Phoenix commented, gesturing towards the stack of files in the prosecutor's arms.

"Big cases are never very light with paperwork. But what are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, I guess the news isn't out yet. Basically-"

"Edgeworth has been kidnapped" Kay butted in.

"The Chief Prosecutor was kidnapped? When?" Klavier asked, almost dropping his files in shock.

"We think it was some time last night. The police are conducting an investigation in his office right now"

"The Chief Prosecutor taken from his own office..." Klavier mumbled before looking back up at Phoenix with wide eyes "Actually, just as I was leaving to go home last night I saw two men walk in. They hardly even acknowledged me and went straight up to the front desk and asked where they could find the Chief Prosecutor. No one who isn't a prosecutor themselves should be allowed to visit the Chief without booking an appointment first but I think we just took on a new security guard so I guess she didn't know that and must have directed them towards his office without thinking about it"

Phoenix and Kay turned to look at each other, both thinking the same thing, before turning back to Klavier.

"Did you get a good look at them?" Kay asked, hoping to get any details they could about the two mysterious visitors.

"Only a passing glance" Klavier admitted "From what I did see they were both very tall- but one of them was slightly shorter than the other one- muscular, and the smaller one was covered in tattoos"

"Did you see them leave?" Kay asked, hoping to get a little more information on where the kidnappers could have taken Edgeworth.

"I didn't. As soon as I left the building I went straight to my bike and went home"

"Okay" Kay replied, trying to hold in a sigh "Thanks for your help"

"My pleasure, my dear Fräulein" Klavier winked casually at Kay before walking past her and down the corridor. Kay spluttered slightly, causing Phoenix to chuckle to himself.

"Don't worry, he's like that with everyone" Phoenix patted Kay on the shoulder reassuringly. Together they walked back up to Edgeworth's office to tell Gumshoe the testimony Klavier had given them. They guessed the smaller man Klavier had mentioned was Augustus' brother, Roland, and that the two of them had escaped from prison together.

"We should go check out the prison and see if they know anything more about the two brothers," Phoenix said, already halfway out the door.

"I'm coming too! They could know more about where they might have taken Edgeworth" Kay ran up to stand next to Phoenix.

"But Kay-" Gumshoe worriedly called out after her.

"Don't worry Gummy. I've visited prisons before, remember?" She flashed a confident smile towards the detective before following Phoenix out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Edgeworth noticed when he finally woke up was the pain stretching across his entire body. Every part of him felt like it had been punched, kicked, or cut. With a quiet groan, he managed to open his eyes to be faced with complete darkness. He tried to call out, but his voice came out as nothing more than a low mumble. He shifted his body slightly to find that his hands and feet were bound tightly with rope that scratched and scraped at his skin every time he tried to move. Slowly, his eyes began adjusting to the lack of light and he could make out vague outlines of objects around him. There were two wooden chairs sat directly opposite him and a few other chairs at random places about the room, all empty. He craned his neck in an attempt to look behind him and he saw a dim light coming from a half open doorway. After listening for a moment, he heard voices coming from the other side of the door but he was too far away to make out what they were saying. He moved his feet to try and stretch them out a little but the door started to open wider. A figure walked into the room and headed straight towards him. Edgeworth couldn't help the fear rising in his chest- whatever the man was coming over to do, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Phoenix was surprised at how relaxed Kay seemed to be as they walked through the prison towards the warden's office. Even he was shaking a little and flicking his eyes around to cautiously look either side of him every now and again. But Kay was her usual, bubbly self. In fact, she seemed to have cheered up a lot since they had entered the prison.

"We're one step closer to finding Edgeworth" was her only explanation when Phoenix asked her about her behaviour as he knocked on the warden's door. The door soon opened and the two of them were welcomed inside. The prison warden was a rather short, stout man with a head full of dirty blond hair and a uniform that seemed a little too stretched over his broad figure. He seemed kind, gentle, and not at all what Phoenix had been expecting as he told them to sit and offered them tea.

"We came to ask you about two of your prisoners; Augustus and Roland Ingimárr" Phoenix explained when the warden asked what they were doing here if not to visit an inmate. The warden suddenly tensed and froze half way through biting into a biscuit. Quickly, he struggled to swallow then took a wavering breath.

"They actually escaped the prison sometime last night. During the guard change over is when we believe they did it. But the news wasn't supposed to be released to the public until later today" the warden eyed the two of them suspiciously and Kay became very tempted to loudly rebuke his hidden insult, but Phoenix shot her a warning look that kept her mouth shut.

"We want to know more about them. We have reason to suspect that they kidnapped a friend of ours"

"Oh, really? Who?" the warden raised an eyebrow sceptically and Phoenix had to give Kay another sideways glance to keep her in her chair.

"The prosecutor who put the two of them behind bars several years ago. You may know of him; Miles Edgeworth"

"What?! Isn't he the Chief Prosecutor now or something?" the warden spluttered slightly.

"Indeed he is. We think he has been kidnapped by your two escapees"

"That's unbelievable..."

"Well believe it now!" Kay finally spoke, glaring at the warden. Phoenix reached over and placed his hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her. He understood her annoyance but he knew they had to remain levelheaded or they would not get anything useful out of this man. For someone who dealt with prison inmates on a daily basis, he didn't seem to cope well under pressure.

"Is there anything you could tell us that might help us find them? Any places they may go, things they may do, aliases they might use?"

"I'm afraid there is not much I can tell you" the warden sighed "But there is one place they may go to- their old house. They used to live there together with their wives before they came here. No one has lived in that house since. I mean, who would want to live in a house where two brothers abused and tortured their wives?"

Phoenix nodded as the warden wrote down the address of the house and handed it over to him. Since there was not much else the warden could give them, Phoenix and Kay thanked him and left. They decided to go back to Edgeworth's office to see if Gumshoe had found anything else and to tell him about the house. But once they got to the top floor, there was a crowd of people in front of the doorway of Edgeworth's office. As they approached, Phoenix started to recognise most of them as prosecutors.

"You! This is your fault!" a voice from the crowd suddenly said and Phoenix turned to see someone pointing at him.

"I don't know what you-"

"The Chief was taken because of you! Your friendship with him has angered whoever took him and this is their revenge. A prosecutor and a defense attorney should see each other in court and no other place. I see you, coming here to this very office to visit him simply for a friendly chat. It's wrong!"

Phoenix could only watch as the man glared before pushing past him and stalking angrily down the hall. He turned to see the others in the group either rolling their eyes and muttering or eyeing him warily, as if to assess if he really was the cause of the kidnapping.

"What a lunatic" Kay whispered in Phoenix's ear as they walked towards the door to the office. But before they could go inside, another voice spoke up behind them.

"Hey! How come you two get to go in there and we don't? Unless you're planning on defending the kidnappers when they're caught?"

"If I say they can come in, then they can come in" Phoenix and Kay turned to see Gumshoe standing in the doorway. Quickly he ushered them inside before shooing the crowd away.

"An angry mob of prosecutors. Now that's not something you see every day" Phoenix commented once Gumshoe had shut the door.

"They've been there for hours. Did you find anything at the prison?" Gumshoe leant back against the wall, running a weary hand across his face.

"The warden said they might have gone to their old house" Kay said and smiled when she saw Gumshoe's face light up a little at the discovery of a new lead. Phoenix reached into his pocket and handed over the slip of paper with the address written on it.

"I know where that is. Then again, there isn't a police detective alive who doesn't know the house of the Ingimárr brothers... I'll go down there and check it out"

"We'll come with you" Kay offered, already half way towards the door.

"It might not be safe. I'd prefer it if you stayed here" Gumshoe said as gently as he could to her.

"No way! I'm as much Edgeworth's friend as either of you two are. I'm going to help find him whether you want me to or not" Kay said with such finality that the two men had no choice but to agree with her. A few minutes later the three of them, along with several police officers as backup, were crammed into Gumshoe's car and heading towards the house. Phoenix could feel Kay tensing up beside him despite the constant smile she kept on her face.

"It will be fine, we'll find a few new leads if nothing else" he told her, giving her a small nudge in an attempt to cheer her up. She nodded slightly in agreement and her body lost a little of the tension it had been holding. After what seemed like a longer drive than it should have been, Gumshoe's car pulled up to the front of a pair of tall, iron gates. Behind them was a large, isolated building with a path that stretched from the gates up to the front door. No one missed the shiver that ran through Gumshoe as soon as he laid eyes on the place. Each one of them took a moment to simply stare at the house, imagining what horrors had gone on in there just a few years ago.

"Here goes nothing" Phoenix sighed before gently pushing the metal gate open, paint flaking off in his hand. Everyone filed in after him with the police officers and Gumshoe going further ahead to make sure the building was as abandoned as it looked, leaving Phoenix and Kay trailing behind.

"Do you think he's okay?" Kay asked nervously, coming to terms with just how violent these brothers were as they approached their house.

"He's been through so much already, he'll survive through this too. I know he will" Phoenix told her with a smile. He partly believed in what he said- he knew Edgeworth was strong- but some small part of him couldn't help thinking that maybe it was all useless, maybe he was already gone…

"All clear!" Gumshoe yelled, making the two of them speed up towards the house and helping Phoenix temporarily forget his darkening thoughts. All the officers were already thoroughly searching the house by the time Phoenix and Kay made it to the door.

"Someone has definitely been here recently but they must have left before we arrived" Gumshoe informed them once they walked in.

"They could have come here first before going to the Prosecutor's building" Phoenix suggested.

"Have you found anything useful?" Kay asked urgently, hoping that a new lead would appear.

"Easy tiger, we've only just started. We'll find something soon" Gumshoe reassured her. The three of them turned their attention to the officers, each searching their own section of the house. But Phoenix soon got distracted by the house itself. Despite the grand looking entrance, the interior was rather dark and bland. Layers of dust coated every surface but there were clear signs that it had been disturbed recently. His eyes caught sight of a red stain on the bottom of the stairs. After a closer look he realised it was blood in the shape of a smudged hand print, but it was faded and completely dry which suggested it had been there for a long time. Quickly he turned back to the investigation, not wanting to dwell on whose blood it was and how it had gotten there.

"Sir!" an officer standing by the coffee table called over to Gumshoe "I might have found something of use over here"

"What is it, Bryd?"

"Someone wrote something on this notepad before tearing the page out. But there's an imprint of what they wrote still on the pad. It appears to be an address of some kind" officer Bryd explained, showing them the notepad and what they had managed to pick up from it.

"I'll look up the address" Kay offered, taking out her phone from her pocket. After a couple of minutes, she figured out where the address would lead them to.

"It's some kind of warehouse. It used to belong to a shipping company but they went bust a few months back so it's currently empty. Do you think that's where they've taken Edgeworth?"

"There's only one way to find out" Gumshoe said, picking up his coat. They left most of the officers at the house to continue the investigation while taking five of them to the warehouse.

"I hope he's there" Kay mumbled, staring out the car window as the world rushed past them.

"He will be" Phoenix replied, "I'm sure of it".


	4. Chapter 4

Kay's heart was pounding in her chest as the warehouse they were heading towards came into view. They had no idea what they were about to be faced with. Would the place be empty? Was Edgeworth really in there? Were his kidnappers leading them on a wild goose chase? Would Edgeworth's cold, broken body be waiting for them on the doorstep? She began to wonder what would be worse- finding out they were too late, or never knowing at all. Once they pulled up behind the building, Gumshoe and the officers did a quick perimeter check, leaving Kay and Phoenix alone in the car.

"How did you and Edgeworth meet?" Phoenix asked Kay suddenly, trying to distract her and keep her as calm as he could.

"Oh, well the first time we met was a long time ago," Kay said almost wistfully and Phoenix smiled to himself at how her face lit up slightly at the memory "I was just a kid then and Edgeworth was very different to how he is now. But even back then I could see an underlying sense of care about him, like some part of him still wanted to help people rather than follow whatever that Von Karma said. Anyway, something bad happened to my dad- he was killed. He was a prosecutor and one of the reasons I'm training to become one now, and Edgeworth helped solve the case. That's when I met Gummy too. Then a few years went by and we met again. I actually rescued him from being tied up in a storage room, believe it or not!"

"Wow, who'd have thought the great Miles Edgeworth would end up getting rescued by a thief" Phoenix chuckled and Kay found herself blushing slightly.

"After that, I sort of became his assistant for a while. I helped him and Gummy with a few cases for a couple of months. Then I would come visit him every so often and help out where I could. How did you meet him?" Kay tilted her head curiously.

"We were in the same class together in the 4th grade. Long story short- his lunch money got stolen, everyone blamed me for it, but he stood up for me when everyone else was against me. The two of us and another guy, Larry, became inseparable. Well, that was until Gregory..."

"He sounds like he was a good man from what Edgeworth has told me"

"He was a great man and a brilliant father. Edgeworth always used to say he wanted to be just like him when he grew up" Phoenix smiled sadly at the memories running through his head. Then a knock sounded on the car window, causing him to jump a little.

"Looks empty from what we can see but we need to check it out further just to make sure. Want to come inside with us?" Gumshoe said through the glass. Both Kay and Phoenix nodded and stepped out the car. They walked over to what appeared to be the main door into the warehouse. Gumshoe signalled for the rest of the officers to join them.

"Walking in through the front door?" Phoenix said sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't really have much of a choice, pal. All other entrances are blocked, this is the only way in" Gumshoe explained.

"Reassuring…" Kay muttered to herself as Gumshoe opened the door with a shove and walked inside. The rest of them followed him in one by one. Kay stared around at the dark walls as silence echoed through the whole building. Gumshoe stepped quietly down the rusting staircase, his gun loaded and poised to fire at any moment just in case they found anyone who wished to stand in their way. Kay and Phoenix followed closely behind him, both stepping just as carefully. The other police officers came down after them, each with their own loaded gun. They continued through the building until suddenly Gumshoe stopped when he heard footsteps that didn't match with anyone who was walking behind him, causing a chain reaction for everyone else to freeze. A few moments passed before silently Gumshoe signaled towards the right. Three of the officers went straight towards the noise Gumshoe heard. Everything was completely still as the two groups waited for someone to appear.

"You're here for the prosecutor I take it" a voice sounded from the shadows before a man stepped out to face the group.

"We are. You will hand him over to us and come quietly to the station" Gumshoe said with a surprising air of calm despite the tightening grip on his gun.

"Or what, you'll kill me?" the man replied mockingly.

"There are 8 of us, 6 of which are armed, and one of you. And a man with bullets in his kneecaps can't run very fast"

"You have seriously underestimated your situation, detective"

Silence fell over the building and for a moment even time seemed to stop. But that silence was abruptly shattered when gunfire sounded behind them. Only a second later countless men appeared from every direction, quickly surrounding the group.

* * *

Edgeworth looked up when he suddenly heard the sound of gunshots coming from the other side of the wall. His eyes shot over to where his kidnappers, the Ingimárr brothers, were sat. Predictably, they ran out the room to see what was happening. Edgeworth saw his chance and took it. A combination of previous struggling and pure desperation allowed him to loosen the rope around his wrists just enough to release his hands. He knew he didn't have time to try and escape, even if the people who had entered the warehouse unexpectedly had come to rescue him. Despite how much he wanted to run, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance by himself against so many armed men. So instead he reached into his pocket and found a scrap of paper. After a quick search he found a pencil, scribbled down a message and hid it underneath the chair he had been previously tied to. Just as he stood up the brothers returned to the room.

"Thought about escaping, did we?" Roland snarled. Edgeworth knew there was no point in defending himself so he let them re-tie his hands, wincing as they pulled the rough rope across his already broken skin. Then they covered his head with a bag before shoving him forwards. Even in the situation he was in, the cold breeze that hit him as he was pushed outside gave him a small sense of calm. They all but threw him into the back of their van and drove away from the warehouse, the sound of gunfire slowly fading into silence.

* * *

"Get out of here!" Gumshoe yelled towards Kay and Phoenix as he took cover behind a pillar and fired at as many men as he could. Phoenix grabbed Kay's arm and started running through the chaos towards the door. But before they could make it out, a scream of agony ripped through the sound of bullets. Phoenix turned around just in time to catch Kay as she collapsed towards him. He could feel blood soaking through her shirt and his heart skipped a beat. Gumshoe began running towards him and shouted something but Phoenix couldn't hear him. All he could focus on was Kay's limp body in him arms, her blood pouring out onto his suit. There was nothing he could do but let Gumshoe shove him out the door as the detective took Kay's body from him and carried her towards the car. Blood rushed in his ears as he climbed into the car along with four of the original five officers and Gumshoe. The car sped away from the warehouse, the sirens on the roof blaring out above them.


	5. Chapter 5

Phoenix was sat in one of the many uncomfortable plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room, his hands shaking in his lap. He looked up to see Gumshoe talking to a nurse, probably explaining to her what had happened. After leaving the warehouse, they had driven Kay straight to the hospital. But everything had been such a blurred mixed of fear and confusion that when the doctors took her away, Phoenix didn't even have the chance to ask if she was still alive. All he could do was sit and wait, hoping desperately that she would pull through.

"This is all my fault," Gumshoe said, sitting down beside Phoenix.

"Of course it isn't. You had no idea there would be so many of them, none of us did" Phoenix tried to reassure him.

"I should've left her at the office, kept her safe"

"She would have come along even if she had to walk all the way to that warehouse" Phoenix chuckled quietly and Gumshoe smiled, knowing he was right.

"Mr Wright and Mr Gumshoe?" a man in a white coat- who they both assumed was a doctor- approached them.

"How is she?" Phoenix blurted out before he could stop himself, already trying to prepare himself for the worst.

"You're in luck, the bullet passed straight through her left shoulder. She lost a lot of blood very quickly, which is why she passed out. But after a few days of recovery, she'll be good as new" the doctor smiled as both men leant back in their chairs, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

"Can we see her?" Gumshoe asked and the doctor nodded. The two them followed him down the long corridor until they reached the door to Kay's room. Gumshoe and Phoenix briefly looked at each other for reassurance as the doctor walked away before opening the door and stepping into the private ward. They were both thankful for the relief they felt at the sight of Kay smiling over at them from the hospital bed, looking completely well despite the sling around her arm.

"Hey" she greeted as Phoenix shut the door behind himself and he and Gumshoe sat down in the chairs beside the bed.

"How are you doing?" Gumshoe asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Considering we were ambushed in a dark warehouse and I got shot in the shoulder, I'm doing okay" Kay laughed and Gumshoe smiled at her- at least she was still looking on the bright side of things.

"How long are they going to keep you in for?"

"Just another few days. Then I'll be able to come and help you guys find Edgeworth again! Well, if you haven't found him before I make it out, that is" Kay smiled at the two of them. Gumshoe was about to object but one look in Kay's eyes showed him that she was completely determined, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I thought I would find you here, Phoenix Wright" a voice sounded from the door that all three people recognised very well.

"Franziska Von Karma, it's been a while," Phoenix said, turning around to face the woman he hadn't seen in over 8 years.

"These are for you" Franziska stepped fully into the room and handed a bouquet of flowers over to Kay, completely ignoring Phoenix's statement. Kay found herself lost for words. She gratefully took the flowers with a smile, just as surprised as everyone else to see her of all people in front of them.

"I take it you didn't come all the way over here just to see how I was doing?" Kay finally said to break the awkward silence that hung in the room.

"I have partly come to apologise on behalf of the police department for their lack of foresight that landed you in this situation," Franziska said tartly, glaring at Gumshoe.

"Then why else are you here?" Kay asked as she realised she was the only one in the room brave enough as actually talk to Franziska.

"I heard about what happened to Miles Edgeworth and I flew over from Germany as fast as I could. I managed to scrape together the full story from a few fellow prosecutors and the Police Chief. I also figured out that you, Phoenix Wright, would not be idly standing by in a situation such as this. So, I have come to offer you my help"

"You're going to... help us?" Phoenix spluttered slightly, unable to process what he had just been told.

"For once we have the same goal" Franziska replied simply "So, what would you like me to do?"

Silence followed Franziska's question as no one really knew how to respond.

"Apart from the case involving their wives several years ago, we don't really know a whole lot about the kidnappers- Augustus and Roland Ingimárr" Gumshoe said quietly and for a moment Franziska looked like she was going to retort until she realised that she was supposed to be helping, not hindering, their investigation.

"I will find out what I can," she said shortly before turning and striding back out the room. As soon as she shut the door, the other three visibly relaxed. They sat together for a while, sharing random funny stories about each other (mostly just to cheer Kay up). But soon Phoenix noticed the time and realised that he should probably be going.

"I should really go back to the investigation," Phoenix said, standing up from his chair.

"A police team is down at the warehouse right now trying to find what they can. And it's definitely just them there this time" Gumshoe smiled and Phoenix nodded, deciding to go down to the warehouse and help out in any way he could. He left Gumshoe with Kay and called a cab to take him to the warehouse. Once he arrived he hesitated slightly about going inside, until he heard another voice he hadn't heard in a while.

"Hey Phoenix, over here!" He looked down the stairs to see Ema Skye waving up at him. He found himself smiling at her as he made his way down the stairs and over to stand next to her.

"Phoenix Wright has his badge back and the world returns to how it should be... well, until all this happened anyway" Ema grinned once Phoenix reached her.

"Still stuck as a detective, I see" Phoenix said part jokingly.

"Not for long, I'm getting my forensic's badge soon!" Ema laughed before pulling out a folder from her bag and handing it over to Phoenix "But Gumshoe did make me the lead detective on this case. These are the notes we have on everything so far"

Phoenix quickly read through the folder as Ema checked up on how her team was doing. He put it back down on the chair next to him once he was finished and turned around to see Ema yelling at some poor officer who obviously didn't know how to use luminol spray and had caused them to run out of it. Phoenix shook his head and smiled to himself before scanning the rest of the room. At first, he didn't see anything significant but then his eyes caught sight of something white poking out from under a chair in the corner. The police were systematically working their way across the room and it appeared no one had reached that corner yet. So Phoenix walked over to it, knelt down, and picked up what he now recognised as a slip of paper. There was something faintly written on the other side and after squinting a little he managed to decipher what it said.

 _Still alive. Augustus and Roland Ingimárr have me._

Phoenix realised the note was from Edgeworth and he wasn't sure whether to feel scared or relieved. He called Ema over and handed the note to her.

"Well, at least he's still with us," Ema said, trying to stay positive until she saw how pale Phoenix looked.

"Don't worry, we'll find him before you know it" she smiled and Phoenix couldn't help notice that was exactly what he had told Kay before they had gone to the warehouse and she was shot. Would they ever really find him? Or would they spend the rest of their lives telling each other that same thing, over and over again until it lost all meaning?


	6. Chapter 6

"How are you doing?" Kay looked up to see Phoenix leaning against the door frame, smiling over at her.

"One more day and I'm free to go" Kay answered, grinning up at him "How did it go down at the warehouse the other day, did you find anything?"

"We found another note from Edgeworth actually" Phoenix told her, sitting down on one of the chairs beside her bed.

"At least he's still alive" Kay smiled halfheartedly and Phoenix knew how she felt. They had been so close to saving him; if only they had known about the ambush...

"Has Franziska found anything new" Kay asked, trying to appear more hopeful than she felt.

"She's still looking but she's only working by herself so it might be a while before she finds any information we don't already know" Phoenix replied. Suddenly, Kay yawned and Phoenix had to suppress a small laugh.

"I'll leave you to get some rest" he smiled gently at her and left the room, softly shutting the door behind him. Not really knowing what to do next, Phoenix decided to go back to the office. But by the time he actually made it up there, he was exhausted- since the elevator wasn't working, he had no choice but to walk up the whole 6 flights of stairs- and gracelessly flopped down into his chair by his desk. No one else was in since Trucy was still at school and Apollo and Athena were out working a case together. All three of them knew how stressed Phoenix was and did everything they could to help him, which Phoenix would be eternally grateful for. He swept his hand through his hair as his eyes drifted down to his surprisingly tidy desk and he smiled to himself when he saw the little note from Trucy on the corner saying she had tidied everything for him so it was one less thing for him to worry about. Then his eyes caught sight of a photo by his computer from last year's Christmas party and that smile slowly began to fade. Next Christmas, would there be one less person at the party? Would they be mourning the loss of a friend or slowly losing hope of ever finding him? Would they all smile at the camera in honesty, or would it be a cover for the pain that remained in their hearts every day?

A knock on the door caused Phoenix to tear his gaze away from the photo and see Franziska walking into the office with a pile of papers in her hand.

"This is everything I could find on the Ingimárr brothers" she said as she placed the pile down in front of Phoenix before leaning forwards and flicking through a few pages.

"One thing that you definitely need to look at is this" Franziska pointed to a section of the page she had turned to "When they were children, their father had a mansion that the three of them and their mother used to live in. But when they were teenagers it burnt down, killing both their parents and landing them on the streets" Phoenix's eyes scanned over the page, nodding as Franziska spoke beside him.

"Thank you, this will be a real help to us" Phoenix looked up at her once he had finished reading, and he was surprised to see a small smile flash across her face.

"I'll give a copy to Scruffy and the Skye detective too" Franziska said and turned to walk back out the door. But just before she stepped out the room she turned back to Phoenix, her face suddenly very serious.

"I'm counting on you, Phoenix Wright. Do not fail me" she said gravely. Then she walked out the office, closing the door behind her and leaving Phoenix to stare at the spot she had just been standing in. He took another deep breath, ran his hand through his now slightly ruined hair and turned to the front page of the file Franziska had given him. This was going to take a while…

* * *

After over three days of Edgeworth silently waiting- pretending to be asleep- the Ingimárr brothers finally left wherever they had taken him. Once he was certain they were gone, he opened his eyes and attempted to move his wrists. Due to the hurry they had been in when trying to leave the warehouse, the ropes that bound Edgeworth's hands hadn't been tied very tightly. Quickly, he twisted his hands until the rope unravelled and fell to the floor. He reached into his jacket pocket and much to both his surprise and relief, he found that he still had his phone on him. He pulled it out and hastily sent a text to the first person on his contact list, not even bothering to look at who he was texting. But just as the message sent, Augustus re-entered the room with Roland close behind. Edgeworth froze as the eyes of both men locked onto him.

"What have we told you about trying to escape?" Augustus said in a mocking tone.

"I guess we'll just have to teach you a lesson" Roland sneered as he stepped to stand beside his brother. Together they started walking towards Edgeworth, who in turn began to back away from them. His back hit against the wall and the two brothers smirked as they cornered him, giving him no escape. Roland reached out and grabbed Edgeworth's phone from his hand before throwing it behind him. Edgeworth winced slightly as he heard it hit either a wall or the floor, he wasn't quite sure which, and smash into pieces. The three men stared at each other in silence until Augustus' knee suddenly collided with Edgeworth's stomach, knocking the prosecutor to the ground. But before his brain had the time to register the pain, he was pulled back up by his shirt collar and Roland threw a swift punch at his right cheek. The two of them then hurled themselves at Edgeworth-a kick in the hip, a punch in the neck, fists collided with his chest and knees and elbows smashed together. Edgeworth's head was spinning after hitting his head hard on the brick wall he was pressed against. Blood was rushing in his ears and his vision blurred. One more punch hit him squarely in the face before he slumped down and lost consciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

Ema was sure she was about to fall asleep before Gumshoe called her. She was sat in her office and had been looking through the information Franziska had given her for the past two and a half hours, and the words were beginning to blur in her head.

"Hey, did Ms Von Karma give you what she's found out on the Ingimárr brothers?" Ema asked once she answered the phone.

"Yeah and I'm thinking about checking out their father's old mansion, care to join me?" Gumshoe said down the phone.

"I'd be happy to come with you. What about Phoenix and Kay?" Ema replied, figuring that the two of them would want to join them regardless of whether it was a wise decision or not.

"After what happened at the warehouse, I've decided not to tell them where we're going" Gumshoe admitted and Ema smiled.

"That's probably for the best" she laughed quietly, knowing that what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

"Okay, I'll be over in a bit to pick you up in a bit"

"Thanks" Ema smiled before hanging up. She sighed as she leant back in her chair, running her hands over her face. A sudden thought crossed her mind and after a brief mental calculation, she realised that she hadn't slept for almost 24 hours. With this realisation came a wave of exhaustion over Ema's body and she could barely find the energy to pull herself up and out of her chair. She shook her head to try and clear it a little before leaving her office and going to down wait for Gumshoe. Soon enough a police car pulled up in front of her with Gumshoe in the driver's seat. He smiled over at him as she climbed into the passenger's seat. It wasn't long before they started to get close to their destination. As the car drove over the hill both detectives held their breath at the sight that appeared before them- what was once a lavish, expensive mansion that housed a loving family was now an ash covered ruined structure that could hardly support itself. The car slowed down to a stop at the bottom of the road. Both detectives got out and began walking towards the burnt down building. Silently agreeing that neither of them wanted to get too close, they decided to just investigate the perimeter.

A shiver shot down Ema's spine as she walked around the blackened bricks and broken windows. The incident had never been closely investigated by the police, despite young Augustus and Roland's constant pleas. Maybe that was one of the reasons the two of them committed such terrible crimes as adults- to get their revenge on the authority system who had refused to even look into their parent's death and left them alone and starving on the streets. She sighed when she saw Gumshoe walking over to her. Neither of them had found anything of use, so they decided to give in and go back to research. Gumshoe went on ahead to the car and Ema trailed behind him, still shaken at what she had seen. But as she began to walk away from the building, she swore she heard a voice from behind her. It was brief and muffled, and after a moment she realised it wasn't coming from behind her but from beneath her. She froze where she stood and listened closely but the only noise to be heard was her own quiet breathing. She shook her head and continued walking towards the road. It was probably just the wind...

* * *

Phoenix opened the door to his apartment as quietly as he could. He had spent almost all day at his office reading over the information Franziska had given him. After a quick visit to Kay when the hospital released her and Gumshoe arrived to pick her up, he decided he should go home. Figuring Trucy would already be asleep, he tried to be as quiet as he could. After checking up on his sleeping daughter, he briefly peered into the spare bedroom and saw Apollo fast asleep too. A smile flickered across his face as he shut the door. Apollo practically lived with them now since his landlord had sold his previous house from under his feet. Phoenix was delighted that he and Trucy were getting to spend more time with each other. Exhausted, Phoenix flopped down onto the couch. He sighed quietly to himself as he felt his eyes growing heavy and his body sinking down against the couch. His breathing slowed and finally he slipped into unconsciousness. His peaceful sleep lasted about 15 minutes before a loud banging sound from outside woke him.

"What was that?" Phoenix whispered to himself while he blinked himself back into reality. He sat in silence for a few seconds until the sound came again and he turned to where it was coming from: the front door. Slowly he stood, walked over to the door, and opened it.

"Larry?" Phoenix asked, confused as to what his friend was doing at his door at a time like this.

"What's happened to Edgey?" Larry blurted out, his eyes wide with what seemed to be fear. Phoenix eventually managed to get him inside and sat on the couch, despite the fact that he seemed to be frozen in place.

"What's going on, Nick?" Larry asked quietly and Phoenix, realising he didn't have much of a choice, told him what had happened to their friend.

"I can't believe it…" Larry whispered once Phoenix was done.

"How did you find out about it?" Phoenix asked since he had been careful to not worry him by telling him anything before this moment.

"This" Larry pulled out his phone and showed a text message from Edgeworth that he had only received a few hours ago. Phoenix had to read through it a few times before he understood the meaning. But when he did, he let out a shocked laugh. Before he could stop himself, he threw his arms around Larry and pulled him into a hug.

"What? What did I do?" Larry mumbled in confusion against Phoenix's shoulder.

"Those are coordinates, you idiot! Edgeworth's trying to tell you where he is" Phoenix grinned, finally letting go of his friend. Quickly he pulled out his own phone from his pocket and dialled Gumshoe's number. He read out the coordinates over the phone and Gumshoe tried to pinpoint where they led to.

"It's the old Ingimárr mansion, the one that burnt down. Why?"

"That's where Edgeworth is," Phoenix said with more confidence than he had felt in days.

"Really?! How do you know?" Gumshoe gasped and almost dropped his phone.

"Just trust me on this. We need to get as many people as possible and go there straight away. This time we _will_ rescue him"

"Come down to Criminal Affairs. I'll try and get as many officers as I can" Gumshoe said before hanging up. Phoenix jumped up off the couch and started rushing around the apartment, trying to get everything he needed as Larry tailed him closely. But he stopped suddenly just as he was about to walk out the door- causing Larry to almost crash into him- and looked over his shoulder towards Trucy's room. He knew he shouldn't leave her and Apollo alone so late at night.

"I'll stay and keep an eye on them. I'm sure Trucy would be happy to see her Uncle Larry if she wakes up" Larry smiled reassuringly and Phoenix nodded his head gratefully. He left the apartment as quietly as he could and began hurrying down the street. Even if they had to call in every police officer available, Phoenix was determined to save his friend. He refused to lose Edgeworth again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sadly this is the last chapter of this story. But I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it :)**

Phoenix burst through the door to Criminal Affairs and was instantly taken aback at how many people were crammed inside. He looked over the crowd and saw Gumshoe, Kay, Ema, and Franziska in the middle of the room. He managed to push his way towards them and as soon as he reached the desk they were surrounding, Kay practically tackled him into a hug.

"Remind me to buy your friend the best present in the world once this is all over" Kay grinned at Phoenix once she finally let go of him. Phoenix was about to reply when Gumshoe's voice echoed across the room and everyone fell silent almost immediately.

"We know the Chief Prosecutor is at the ruined Ingimárr mansion. But when Detective Skye and myself investigated it earlier-"

"You went without us?" Kay butted in, glaring at Gumshoe but Ema quickly hushed her.

"Anyway, when we investigated it there was no sign of anyone else there. This means it's likely that they're underground. After looking at the old house plans, Ms Von Karma noticed that there used to be a basement. Since it's unlikely that the fire would have damaged it too much, that's the most logical place to look" Gumshoe told the crowd. He then pulled out a map and began instructing people where to go and what their role would be.

"I never knew Gumshoe could be so... capable" Phoenix admitted to Kay in shock as they watched him organise the officers who were still completely ready to follow him, even after all these years.

"Gummy can do amazing things when Edgeworth is in trouble" Kay smiled, remembering how many times he had helped Edgeworth when there had been almost no hope. The general outline of the plan was that Franziska would lead one group around to cover the left side of the area, Ema would lead another group that would cover the right side and they were to secure the perimeter and ensure no one escaped while Gumshoe, Phoenix, Kay, and the remaining officers went into the warehouse.

Phoenix mulled over the plan in his head as he sat in one of the many police cars heading towards the mansion, absently listening to the officer beside him who was quickly teaching Kay the basics of shooting a gun. He was desperate to get it right, they all were. Nothing would stand in the way between them and Edgeworth, not this time. Phoenix raised his head to look out the window and everyone gave the same reaction the two detectives had the previous day as the cars drove over the hill and the burnt remains of the mansion came into view. The cars stopped out of sight at the end of the road and everyone climbed out.

"Ready?" Gumshoe asked and everyone nodded. So he signalled for the first groups to go up and secure the perimeter. The rest of them waited to be told the coast was clear and Phoenix could feel his heart rate quickening. After a few minutes, Ema told them over the radio that everything was set. So Gumshoe, Phoenix, Kay, and the rest of the officers moved in around the back of the mansion. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the entrance to the basement to be found. Gumshoe entered first with virtually no hesitation. Kay looked over at Phoenix as he reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled and quickly returned the gesture before walking down the narrow staircase, Phoenix close behind her. Quietly they made their way down into the basement. But it didn't take long before someone confronted them.

"You guys need to learn when to give up" someone spoke from behind Gumshoe. Before anyone could reply, men poured out from the shadows and gunshots rang through the air. Phoenix frantically looked around him, trying to spot Edgeworth. Suddenly he felt Kay's hand in his, and she started pulling him towards a door she had spotted that had been left slightly ajar. Once they reached the door, both of them looked over their shoulders to make sure no one was watching them before slipping into the room. A singular light bulb hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room, giving off just enough light for Kay to spot a slumped figure on a chair in the corner of the room.

"E-Edgeworth?" she called out cautiously.

"Who's there?" the figure said so quietly she almost missed it entirely. But she was certain it was her friend's voice. Both she and Phoenix ran over to him and began untying the ropes that bound his hands and feet.

"It's okay. We've got you" Phoenix whispered gently, fearing that if he spoke any louder someone would hear them. Finally, the last rope fell to the floor and Edgeworth tried to stand. But after being starved of both food and sleep for almost a week, his knees instantly buckled under his own weight. Instinctively, Phoenix lunged forward and caught his friend before he hit the concrete floor.

"We need to get out of here," Kay said. But as she looked over to the door they had come in through, she could hear the fight that was going on on the other side and she knew there was no way all three of them would make it out.

"There's another way out" Edgeworth croaked, sensing Kay's uncertainty. He pointed over to the other side of the room and Phoenix caught sight of a small line of light coming from outside. He wrapped an arm around Edgeworth's waist and, with Kay's help, they made it over to where Edgeworth had pointed. Kay supported their friend against the wall as Phoenix kicked the door open. Light flooded in and for a moment all of them were blinded. Phoenix and Kay helped Edgeworth up the steps and eventually their feet hit the grass. Not being able to hold on any longer, Edgeworth allowed himself to collapse to the ground and slip from consciousness.

"It's okay, he's just fainted" Phoenix confirmed as he rushed to check Edgeworth's pulse. Kay frantically pulled out her phone and after fumbling with the buttons for a second, she managed to call for an ambulance.

"You're going to be fine, we've got you," Phoenix said more to himself than the unconscious Edgeworth in his arms. He was safe, they finally had him back.

* * *

Edgeworth was surprised to wake up warm, comfortable, and in no way tied to anything. Slowly, he opened his eyes and immediately squinted at the bright light around him. As his eyes adjusted, he realised he could see nothing but the white ceiling above him. In an attempt to get a better view of his surroundings, he tried to sit up. His muscles protested at his every move but eventually he managed to find the energy to sit up, involuntarily groaning quietly in pain.

"Edgeworth?" A voice came from behind him that he instantly recognised and he slowly began to remember what had happened the previous night.

"Kay?" Edgeworth's voice came out rougher than he had been expecting, catching himself a little off guard. Before he even had time to turn around, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him and he found himself with Kay almost in his lap as she hugged him.

"What are you doing here?" Edgeworth mumbled against Kay's shoulder.

"That's a long story, and I'll tell you all about it in a bit," Kay giggled "guys, he's awake!" she called towards the open door, still not letting go of Edgeworth. Hardly five seconds later, Phoenix and Gumshoe rushed into the room. As soon as they saw him, smiles spread across their faces.

"How are you feeling?" Gumshoe asked, pulling a chair closer to the bed and sitting down.

"A few bruises here and there, but apart from that I think I'll be okay" Edgeworth replied, softly smiling.

"I'm so glad you're okay" Kay sighed happily, finally sliding off Edgeworth's lap.

"Me too... thank you," Edgeworth said quietly, looking down at his hands.

"We weren't exactly going to leave you, were we?" Phoenix joked and, much to all of their surprise, Edgeworth actually laughed.

"No, I guess not" he smiled. The door then opened again and Franziska, Ema, and Larry all walked in. Before anyone even had time to sit down, Kay saw her chance and took it. She launched into what Edgeworth assumed was a dramatic re-telling of how they had all worked together to rescue him. As her embellished story unfolded, Edgeworth's eyes scanned over the faces of his friends and he found himself thinking how grateful he was to have so many people who loved him.


End file.
